Shikamaru's New Friend
by KhioneSnowGuardian
Summary: Shikamaru is sent on a mission to get Kyuugen survivor. He did not expect to find a new friend, love, and the key that unlocks his heart. Is she the balm to the pain of Asuma's death? Read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! Ok, so this is my second fanfic, and I have a BRAND NEW character…

So guys, please enjoy and review, and no flames please!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own Casedi Kyuugen.

**Chapter 1: The Girl**

_Shikamaru's POV_

I woke up right before the alarm went off. Again. Man, what a drag.

I stifled a yawn and reluctantly got up and turned the noisy thing off. I sighed. _Lady Tsunade today, _I thought. I got dressed and grabbed some cereal, then walked out of my place. The sun was shining outside, and Konoha was peaceful. "HEY! SHIKAMARU!" Scratch peaceful. I turned and saw the annoying blonde, Naruto, running towards me. I sighed. "Hey, Naruto," He grinned. "You're up early! Who knew someone lazy like you would be up!" He chuckled. I groaned. "Well, I'm off to Ichiraku's, want to join?" "No thanks. I got to see Lady Tsunade. What a drag." I told him. "Oh, ok. Tell Granny Tsunade I said hi!" he yelled after me. "Yeah, yeah," I muttered.

_AT THE HOKAGE TOWER_

"Shikamaru, I am assigning you a mission," said Lady Tsunade before I even walked in the room. "What?!" I exclaimed. "Right now?" She nodded. I groaned. "It's an A-rank mission, and I am assigning you, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka and Chouji Akimichi to accompany you." I sighed. "What a drag. Alright, what's the mission?" Lady Tsunade gestured to Shizune. She cleared her throat. "Right! Have you heard of the Kyuugen clan?" she asked me. I frowned. "Aren't they wiped out?" I asked. "That's what was reported," said Shizune. "The Kyuugen clan specializes in ninjutsu with the mind, and their abilities are equal to those of the Yamanaka clan. However, during Orochimaru's invasion of the Leaf Village 3 years ago, he also destroyed the Kyuugen clan. No survivors were reported." "Let me guess," I said. "There is a survivor after all." Lady Tsunade leaned forward. "Exactly. We must take charge of this survivor, before anyone else finds him. The Kyuugen's ninjutsu is extremely powerful, and is very dangerous if put in the wrong hands. Your mission is to find the Kyuugen survivor, and bring him here." I sighed. "Alright. But where exactly do we look for him?" "The forest, almost right outside this village," Lady Tsunade answered with amusement. "So, this mission should be done before evening." I nodded. "Dismissed," Lady Tsunade leaned back in her chair and sipped her tea.

_AT THE GATES OF KONOHA_

"Is everyone here?" I asked. "Yup!" chirruped Ino. "Ready as ever!" exclaimed Chouji. "I even brought extra snacks!" "Alright. Let's move!" I led the way into the forest. "How are we supposed to find him? The forest is huge!" Ino exclaimed as we moved from tree to tree. "I'm not so sure. For all I know, he could be any-""Guys, a little help!" Chouji interrupted me. Ino and I stopped and turned. Chouji was tied to a tree branch, a kunai at his throat. I almost smacked myself. _How could I have let my guard down? _I yelled at myself. My second thought was _we found the survivor pretty fast._ The Kyuugen survivor was behind Chouji, but he was covered in black from head to toe. A mask covered his face. "We mean no harm," I called out. "We were assigned on a mission to find the Kyuugen survivor." The figure didn't budge. After a few seconds, the figure touched Chouji's forehead, and then nodded. He let go of Chouji and cut through the ropes. "You're the Kyuugen survivor then?" asked Ino. "I suppose so," replied the survivor. His voice was deep and hoarse, almost unnatural. "You have to remove your mask," I told the figure. He stuck the kunai in a tree branch and took his mask off. Underneath the mask, was a mask made of black cloth, like Kakashi-sensei's. He then reached behind his head and pulled his mask off. Long, white hair tumbled down, and dark blue eyes stared at me. A device fell as well, and I recognized a voice modifier. "Sorry about that," a clear voice rang out. My jaw dropped. It was a girl.

_Please review! No flames! Do you think it's good? Should I continue?_

_Thanks! : ) _

-KhioneSnowGuardian


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing!

I'm really sorry if the format of dialogues was unclear in the previous chapter, but this chapter will hopefully be better and longer!

**Chapter 2: Entering Konoha **

_SHIKAMARU'S POV_

"The Kyuugen survivor is a girl?" Ino whispered to me, looking at the girl skeptically. The survivor raised an eyebrow. "You have a problem with that?" Ino turned pink_. How could she hear Ino? _I thought. _She's 3 branches away from us!_ "What's your name?" I asked. The girl grabbed Chouji and got within arm's reach. "Casedi Kyuugen," she said, extending a hand. I shook it. "Shikamaru Nara. That," I said pointing to Chouji, "is Chouji Akimichi, and this," I gestured to Ino with my other hand, "is Ino Yamanaka."

"Yamanaka, huh?" Casedi looked at Ino. "Hm." Ino turned pink again. "What's that supposed to mean? Don't just 'Hm' me!" She said, glaring at Casedi. Casedi just gave her an amused smile. "You're coming with us," I told Casedi. "The Hokage wants to speak with you." Casedi nodded. "Sure."

"Alright," I took charge. "Ino and Chouji, you guys lead the way. Ino, you stay on the right side. Chouji buddy, you're on the left. Chouji?" Chouji was staring off into space, his eyes unfocused. "Hey, Chouji!" Ino snapped her fingers in front of her face. No response. "Oh, I forgot!" Casedi touched his forehead and said, "Release!" Chouji's eyes focused on us and said, "What happened? I felt like I was sleeping." Casedi took out a vial from her pouch. "Drink this," she said to Chouji. "It will make you feel better." Chouji took it. "Wait," I took the vial from Chouji and stared at the violet liquid. "How do we know this isn't poison?"

"It's not. It's a potion that's taken after experiencing that jutsu. My clan has made this potion from generation to generation, and is one of the most important things that we should know," said Casedi. I hesitated. She could be telling the truth. After all, the Kyuugen clan _did_ have to give a vial to those who were under their jutsu to calm the mind. But then, we _did_ just meet, so there is also a possibility that she was lying. "I'm not lying," Casedi told me as if reading my thoughts. I sighed. "Very well. But Chouji, if you feel bad, tell me immediately." Chouji nodded, and drained the vial. We waited. Then, he smiled.

"I feel extremely refreshed, like I just took a cold shower!" he exclaimed. Casedi smiled. Ino crossed her arms. "Can we go already? We found the survivor, Lady Hokage will be waiting!"

"Alright, let's go!" Chouji said. I repeated the formation, and then we took off. Ino and Chouji in the front, followed by Casedi, with me behind her. One can never be too careful. After all, she could have slipped away or attacked us from behind. Casedi turned and gave me a quizzical look as if she understood just what I was thinking.

After a few minutes, we were at Konoha gates. "You guys are back from your mission already?" Kotetsu Hagane asked, his best friend Izumo Kamikuzi right behind him. "Yea," I said. "We found the Kyuugen survivor pretty darn fast." I nodded at Casedi. They both stared at her. "Um, hi. I'm Casedi Kyuugen" Casedi said, attempting a smile. "Kotetsu Hagane and this is my pal Izumo Kamikuzi," Kotetsu replied, still staring at her. "C'mon, we have to go to Lady Tsunade," I said, leading the way to the Hokage tower. "Man, the Kyuugen girl is _hot_," I heard Izumo mutter to Kotetsu. Kotetsu just nodded. _Man, troublesome woman, _I thought as I glanced at Casedi.

_AT THE HOKAGE TOWER_

"Lady Hokage?" I called, knocking on the door. "Come in," Lady Tsunade's muffled voice replied. I opened the door and lead Casedi into the room. Lady Tsunade was seated behind her desk, Shizune at her side. Lady Tsunade's eyes narrowed at Casedi. "Lady Hokage," Casedi bowed, her white hair falling from her shoulders. "You are the Kyuugen survivor?" Lady Tsunade asked, looking at her up and down. "Casedi Kyuugen, ma'am," was the reply. "Well Casedi, I'm Tsunade, the Hokage of this village. This is my assistant Shizune, and I'm sure you met Shikamaru." Casedi nodded at me. "Oh, Lady Tsunade, Chouji and Ino had to do some errands, so they couldn't report in." I told her. "Well, Chouji said he was hungry, and Ino had to do something at the flower shop, which left me to give you the troublesome mission report." Casedi grinned at me. "So you're a lazy ass, huh?" I grimaced at the title. "Lazy ass?" I asked weakly. Casedi just grinned wider. And then she collapsed on the floor.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked as I kneeled down next to her. Lady Tsunade got up from her desk and also kneeled beside Casedi. "Shizune, get the medical nin and a stretcher immediately!" "Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Shizune said as she hurried out of the room, Ton-Ton in her arms. "Why did she just collapse?" I asked Lady Tsunade as she felt Casedi's forehead and checked her pulse. "Exhaustion," Lady Tsunade replied. "It seems that she hasn't slept for at least 24 hours." "24 hours? I wonder why," I said, moving the hair out of Casedi's face. Lady Tsunade shrugged. "We will question her later, but for now, she will have to rest in the hospital until she is fully recovered. "

The door opened and 3 medical nin came in with a stretcher. "She collapsed from exhaustion," Lady Tsunade told them as the lifted Casedi onto the stretcher. "There will be no examinations yet. Just give her a bed in a private room, and for extra measures allow no visitors except Shizune, Shikamaru, and myself." "Yes, Lady Hokage!" the medical nin bowed and then carried the stretcher out of the room, Shizune close behind. When the door shut Lady Tsunade sighed and retreated to her desk. Then I noticed something next to the door. "Hey, it's Casedi's backpack," I said, picking it up and bringing over to Lady Tsunade. She frowned. "Open it," she ordered. "But what if she has personal items she doesn't want to show anyone?" I asked. Lady Tsunade sighed again. "Shikamaru, we don't know if she is a friend or enemy. If anything happens, I will take full blame for searching her things." I nodded. "Okay then, here goes," I flipped the backpack upside down and emptied out Casedi's things on Lady Tsunade's desk.

About a dozen kunais and shurikens, another dozen paper bombs, and a spare change of clothes fell out. "What's this?" Lady Tsunade pulled out a locket from the pile of clothes. She opened it and stared at it for a while. Then she handed it over to me. I looked at the picture and saw 2 people. The first was a teenage guy smiling back at me. He had spiky black hair, and green eyes. Laughing next to him, was a girl with shining bronze hair and freckles across her nose. On the other side of the locket a message was written.

_Casedi, happy birthday! This is a little something so that you never forget us! Love, Raven and Jay. _

This was exactly something I was talking about. I quickly shut it and put it on top of Casedi's clothes. "_That_ is what I meant upon scrambling across personal items." I said to Lady Tsunade. She nodded, and then put all the items back in the backpack. "Put this in her room," she told me. I took the backpack. Lady Tsunade turned and stared out the window behind her. The message was clear: dismissed.

"It's right down the hall, 4th door to the right," the nurse told me. I thanked her and headed to Casedi's room. I knocked. No answer. I slid the door open, and I saw Casedi on the bed next to the window, fast asleep. I quietly slipped inside and put her backpack on the table next to her bed. As I exited the room, I noticed 2 ANBU right outside her window. _Troublesome woman, _I thought as I exited the hospital. _You must be really something if Lady Tsunade is this cautious. _

That's the 2nd chapter! I hope it wasn't too long, but please review!

The 3rd chapter: Casedi Kyuugen, coming soon!


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